UNESCO - World Heritage Site Corvey

Charlemagne fights a victorious battle against the Saxons in the Weser valley below the Brunsberg, conquers Brunsburg Castle and seeks to proselytize the pagan Saxons.

Charlemagne and Pope Leo III meet in Paderborn and decide to establish a missionary center in the former Saxon territories.

First attempt to found a monastery in Hethis, now unknown, by Benedictine monks from Corbie. However, the location proves to be unfavorable for the maintenance of the monastery.

The monks attempt to found a new monastery in the Weserbogen and on September 25/26, the convent moves from Hethis to the new monastery.

Louis the Pious confirms the foundation of Corvey in two charters, donates the village of Huxcori to the monastery and guarantees the abbey imperial privileges such as free election of abbot and immunity.

Corvey has a monastery and writing school as well as a famous library. The Benedictine monk Ansgar from Corbie, who was later canonized, is the first head of the monastery school and is commissioned to missionize northern Europe.

After being granted market rights, the abbey also received the right to mint coins. This makes Corvey one of the most economically prosperous abbeys in northern Europe.

Accompanied by countless pilgrims and reports of miracles, the bones of St. Vitus arrive in Corvey from St. Denis. From then on, St. Vitus is the patron saint of the monastery and also of the City of Höxter.

The first church is consecrated in 844. Construction of the westwork began in 873 and the imposing three-tower façade was consecrated in 885. The westwork is still regarded as an outstanding example of Carolingian architecture and has been preserved in large parts.

The monastery develops into an important religious center. With its famous monastery school, it is an important educational institution for the Saxon and Franconian nobility and the scriptorium is a center for storing and passing on the knowledge of the time. Many visits by kings and emperors also consolidated the political power of the abbey.

From the 12th century onwards, the monastery slowly lost its importance. Nevertheless, it was confirmed as an imperial abbey by the Hohenstaufen King Conrad III in 1145. The time of Abbot Wibald von Stablo (1146-1158) begins. Under him, the upper part of the westwork is rebuilt into the second tower complex that is still visible today.

In 1220, the imperial abbey was further upgraded and was elevated to a prince-abbey by the Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis by the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II.en.

Directly outside the monastery gates, the abbey promotes a new settlement, which slowly develops into competition for the town of Höxter. Supported by the citizens of Höxter, armed bands of the Bishop of Paderborn plunder and pillage the up-and-coming town of Corvey, thus sealing its demise.

Under the influence of Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse, the Reformation is introduced in Höxter, the capital of the prince-abbey of Corvey. However, Corvey Abbey, the sovereign and head of the town, remains Catholic.

During the Thirty Years' War, Höxter is occupied by all the warring powers. Because the town fathers refuse to surrender, General Geleen orders an attack. Catholic soldiers march through the town, murdering and plundering. Around 1,500 inhabitants fall victim to the bloodbath of Höxter.

The Corvey Convention elects Christoph Bernhard von Galen, Prince-Bishop of Münster, as the new administrator. Feared as "Bomben-Bernd", he rules with a firm hand. He enforces the sovereign's authority over the town of Höxter, organizes the revenues and thus creates the economic conditions for the reconstruction of Corvey.

Construction of the new monastery church begins. By 1731, the entire monastery district is fundamentally redesigned in the Baroque style and the monastery buildings are rebuilt in the form of a castle-like complex. Only the westwork remains from the medieval buildings and still stands today.

The convent is outdated and has only a few members left. In order to give the monastery a new lease of life, Abbot Theodor von Brabeck (1770-1794) pursues the plan to have Corvey elevated to a bishopric. He succeeded and in 1792 Pope Pius VI declared Corvey a prince-bishopric. Corvey thus governed a small secular and spiritual territory with state sovereignty.

The young prince-bishopric loses its independence again and falls to William V of Orange as part of the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda. In 1807, ownership changed hands again and Corvey became part of Napoleon's newly created Kingdom of Westphalia, over which his brother Jérome presided as king.

After the dissolution of the secular existence in 1803, Corvey's spiritual existence also came to an end. With the papal bull "De salute animarum", the diocese of Corvey is finally dissolved and assigned to the diocese of Paderborn as the "deanery of Höxter".

The monastery estates and forests were transferred to Landgrave Amadeus of Hesse-Kassel by way of exchange as early as 1818. He later bequeathed the property to his nephew Viktor Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, who was awarded the title "Duke of Ratibor and Prince of Corvey" by the King of Prussia in 1840. The Princely House of Ratibor and Corvey is still the owner of Corvey Castle today.

The Duke of Ratibor and Prince of Corvey appoints Prof. Dr. August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben to Corvey as librarian and archivist. He helps the Princely Library to gain an outstanding reputation. Today it is one of the largest private libraries in Germany. The grave of the poet of the Deutschlandlied is located in Corvey.

On 21.06.2014, the ensemble is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the title "Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey" and is henceforth a World Heritage Site worthy of special protection.